Many Americans use social media to connect with one another, engage with news content, share information and entertain themselves. Explore the patterns and trends shaping the social media landscape.
How we did this
To better understand Americans’ social media use, Pew Research Center surveyed 5,626 U.S. adults from Feb. 1 to June 10, 2024. SSRS conducted this National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS) for the Center using address-based sampling and a multimode protocol that included web, mail and phone. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race and ethnicity, education and other categories.
Which social media platforms are most common?
YouTube and Facebook are the most-widely used online platforms. Half of U.S. adults say they use Instagram, and smaller shares use sites or apps such as TikTok, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter) and Snapchat.
Who uses each social media platform?
Usage of the major online platforms varies by factors such as age, gender and level of formal education.
% of U.S. adults who say they ever use __ by …
This fact sheet was compiled by Research Assistant Olivia Sidoti and Research Associate Wyatt Dawson. Former Research Analyst Risa Gelles-Watnick, Research Analyst Michelle Faverio, Digital Producer Sara Atske, Associate Information Graphics Designer Kaitlyn Radde and Research Assistant Eugenie Park also provided assistance.